HISTORY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 39 



off a swarm or two, it will not do to put it near the 

 lower ends of the combs, as there is not likely to be 

 a sufficient quantity of bees to keep up the heat to 

 the proper temperature ; and to put combs on the top 

 of the hive is nonsense. Whoever expects to rear 

 queens in either way, will be disappointed. 



Mr. Quinby has doubtless fallen into one or all of 

 these errors, which is common to first experiments. 

 His mode of managing bees, prior to writing his 

 work, had been such, I apprehend, as not to make 

 the rearing of artificial queens of much importance 

 to him as a matter of profit ; hence I conclude he has 

 not given this subject as much study and careful 

 experiment as some others, whose object has been to 

 increase their number of stocks in the most rapid 

 manner possible. 



Mr. Quinby says : " Obtain a piece of brood-comb 

 containing workers' eggs, or larva very young. You 

 will generally find it without much trouble, in a 

 young swarm that is making combs ; the lower ends 

 usually contain eggs ; take a piece from one of the 

 middle sheets, two or three inches long ; ( you will 

 probably use smoke by this time, without telling.) 

 Invert the hive that is to receive it, put the piece 

 edgewise between the combs, if you can spread them 

 apart enough for the purpose ; they will hold it there, 

 and then there will be ample room to make the cells. 

 They will nearly always rear several queens. I have 

 counted nine several times, which were all they had 

 room for. But yet I have very little confidence in 

 such queens, they are almost certain to be lost." 



